Virtualized fabric login server for storage area network

ABSTRACT

Techniques for a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network are described herein. An aspect includes operating a storage area network, the storage area network including a hybrid control plane. Another aspect includes managing, using a virtualized fabric login server and the hybrid control plane, the storage area network, wherein the virtualized fabric login server is disposed in a container that is hosted on an element of the storage area network.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to processing systems, and more specifically, to a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network.

A storage area network (SAN), or storage network, provides a dedicated network of storage device(s) to enable a processing system to access consolidated, block-level data storage. To the processing system, the storage device(s) appears to be locally attached and are not accessible to other devices through a local area network (LAN).

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network. A non-limiting example computer-implemented method includes operating a storage area network, the storage area network including a hybrid control plane. Another aspect includes managing, using a virtualized fabric login server and the hybrid control plane, the storage area network, wherein the virtualized fabric login server is disposed in a container that is hosted on an element of the storage area network

Other embodiments of the present invention implement features of the above-described method in computer systems and computer program products.

Additional technical features and benefits are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed subject matter. For a better understanding, refer to the detailed description and to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The specifics of the exclusive rights described herein are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the embodiments of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of a system for a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network (SAN) in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of a container system including a virtualized fabric login server for a SAN in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of components of a system for a hybrid control plane including a virtualized fabric login server for a SAN in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a process for processing of a fabric login (FLOGI) request by a virtualized fabric login server for a SAN in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process for processing of an extended link service (ELS) request by a virtualized fabric login server for a SAN in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example computer system for use in conjunction with one or more embodiments of a virtualized fabric login server for a SAN.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network (SAN). Several different approaches to network management have emerged. Two of these include software defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization. SDN provides end users with the capability to have a non-proprietary network where the management and control capabilities do not reside in network vendors' proprietary operating systems and/or management tools. SDN has been applied to conventional internet protocol (IP)/Ethernet-based networking. Some of the features and functionality of SDN include: management/control functionality is shifted into open standards software residing on individual servers, containers, and/or virtual machines (VMs); end users are provided with more control than conventional network management approaches; network vendor lock-in is reduced; and conventional networks are transformed into agile platforms for service delivery.

Network function virtualization (NFV) is a concept that virtualizes elements in a network. In NFV, rather than using a dedicated hardware device to provide a particular function (e.g., a hardware router to provide routing), software running on a processing system is used to provide the particular function. In this way, entire classes of network node functions can be set up as building blocks that can be connected to create overall telecommunications networks, for example. NFV utilizes traditional processing system virtualization but extends the concept significantly. For example, one or more VMs running different software and providing different processes, on top of industry standard high volume processing systems, are able to provide the functions of conventional hardware switches. Examples of virtualized functions that can be provided include: virtualized load balancers, firewalls, intrusion detection devices, wide area network (WAN) accelerators, routers, access control, and billing, etc.

Typically, SDN and NFV management are offered through proprietary hardware running a proprietary network operating system (NOS). While effective in large scale environments, such approaches are technically difficult and expensive at smaller scales. In one or more examples, this can be accomplished by building a network using switching devices made up of standard commodity hardware that run various NOS. These switching devices provide the same level of network performance and reliability but at a lower cost and with more flexibility than traditional proprietary devices. The commodity hardware switching devices can run open source NOS, which can be intended for SDN/NFV use. SDN and NFV are complimentary in that these technologies can work together, and the same principles used in NFV can be used in storage networking.

Large scale implementations of SAN often utilize a fibre connection (FICON) or fibre channel protocol (FCP) director class of switches. Such implementations have connectivity requirements that require the use of switching. Smaller scale implementations of SAN have reduced connectivity requirements but higher costs for switching architectures. These smaller scale implementations cannot take advantage of advanced performance monitoring and management capabilities available in larger scale implementations and can be restricted by vendor lock-in and proprietary management tools.

One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a virtualized fabric login server for a SAN. The virtualized fabric login server provides software defined storage area network management and monitoring capabilities without the vendor lock-in and proprietary management tools often encountered in SAN implementations. As an example, the virtualized fabric login server described herein can reside on a channel card (also referred to as an input/output adapter card, or host bus adapter) or in a docker container on an element (e.g., a node or switch) of the SAN. The virtualized fabric login server (or simply “fabric login server”) can run on processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and the like that exist on a channel card in some embodiments of the invention.

Turning now to FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments described herein, a block diagram of a processing system 100 for a virtualized fabric login server 114 for a SAN 140 is depicted. Embodiments of processing system 100 can be implemented in conjunction with any appropriate computer system, including but not limited to computer system 600 of FIG. 6. The processing system 100 can be any suitable processing system, such as an IBM Z® environment processing system for example. The system node 130 of processing system 100 can store data in (i.e., transfer data to) and retrieve data from (i.e., receive data from) the SAN 140 via an input/output (I/O) drawer 102, which is communicatively coupled to the system node 130 and the SAN 140 as shown in FIG. 1. In some examples, the system node 130 is coupled to additional I/O drawers (not shown), such as by the peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) connections 136, which also communicatively couples the system node 130 to the I/O drawer 102.

The system node 130 can include one or more processors 132, a memory 134, and other components (not shown). The system node 130, using the processor(s) 132, executes instructions stored in the memory 134 and transmits data to and receives data from the SAN 140 via the I/O drawer 102.

The I/O drawer 102 includes a PCIe switch 104. The I/O drawer 102 also includes an I/O adapter card 110 (also referred to as a channel card), although the I/O drawer 102 can include additional I/O adapter cards (i.e., channel cards) in other examples. The outputs of the PCIe switch 104 (i.e., the PCIe I/O 108) connect to PCIe adapters on the I/O adapter cards, such as the PCIe adapter 106 on the I/O adapter card 110.

The I/O adapter card 110, which can be a host bus adapter, performs I/O processing on data sent between the system node 130 and the SAN 140. The I/O adapter card 110 utilizes the PCIe adapter 106 to connect to the system node 130 and an optical connection 122 to connect to the SAN 140.

The I/O adapter card 110 can include various components, including a processor pool 112, a shared memory 116, a multiplexer (MUX) 118, and a frame encapsulation and decapsulation engine 120. The processor pool 112 includes one or more processors, which can include one or more central processing units, application specific hardware, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific special processors (ASSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like.

The MUX 118 selects between data from the processor pool 112 and the shared memory 116, and the frame encapsulation and decapsulation engine 120 performs encapsulation and decapsulation on the output and input of the MUX 118.

The I/O adapter card 110 shown in FIG. 1 also includes a virtualized fabric login server 114, which is executed by the processor pool 112. The virtualized fabric login server 114 thus resides in the channel card (i.e., the I/O adapter 110) and runs on processors/ASICs (e.g., the processor pool 112) that are on the I/O adapter 110. Although not shown, it should be appreciated that the virtualized fabric login server 114 can reside in a docker container executing on the system node 130 instead of on the I/O adapter card 110 in some embodiments of the present invention.

The fabric login server 114 is a logical entity that provides services to assist in managing the fibre channel fabric for the SAN 140. The fabric login server 114 can receive and process extended link service (ELS) requests from elements in the SAN 140. The ELS requests can include, but are not limited to, fabric login (FLOGI) requests, discover fabric service parameters (FDISC) requests, read link error status block (LESB) requests, and read timeout values (RTV) requests. The SAN 140 can include any appropriate number of interconnected elements (e.g., storage, nodes, and/or switches) that are in communication with, and are managed by, the fabric login server 114 in processing system 100 via optical connection 122. The various nodes and/or switches in SAN 140 can include commodity hardware (as opposed to proprietary) that runs an open source NOS in some embodiments of the present invention. The elements of SAN 140 can be interconnected in any appropriate manner.

It is to be understood that the block diagram of FIG. 1 is not intended to indicate that the system 100 is to include all of the components shown in FIG. 1. Rather, the system 100 can include any appropriate fewer or additional components not illustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g., additional memory components, embedded controllers, functional blocks, connections between functional blocks, modules, inputs, outputs, storage area network elements, nodes, switches, etc.). Further, the embodiments described herein with respect to system 100 may be implemented with any appropriate logic, wherein the logic, as referred to herein, can include any suitable hardware (e.g., a processor, an embedded controller, or an application specific integrated circuit, among others), software (e.g., an application, among others), firmware, or any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware, in various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of a container system 200 including a virtualized fabric login server 201N for a SAN in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Fabric login server 201N can correspond to fabric login server 114 of FIG. 1. Container system 200 includes a number of applications 201A-N, including fabric login server 201N, that are each hosted in a respective container. Each container includes a respective set of binaries and libraries (bin/libs 202A-N) that are run in the container to support the container's respective application of applications 201A-N. The containers are managed by container runtime environment 203, which runs on operating system 204. Operating system 204 is hosted by hardware infrastructure 205. Infrastructure 205 can correspond to I/O adapter card 110 of FIG. 1 in some embodiments of the present invention; however, a container system such as container system 200 can be implemented in conjunction with any appropriate computer infrastructure (e.g., system node 130) in various embodiments of the invention. The container runtime environment 203 can include any appropriate container runtime environment, including but not limited to a hypervisor such as Docker® in some embodiments of the invention, and can include a container management system such as Kubernetes® in some embodiments of the invention. The locations of the respective containers hosting each of applications 201A-N can be dynamic, such that the container runtime environment 203 tracks the location and network addressing information of each container during operation of system 200.

Fabric login server 201N can receive and process ELS requests from connected elements in the SAN. The fabric login server 201N corresponds to a fibre channel well known address, and can be accessed using a fibre channel ELS protocol. The address of the fabric login server 201N can be used as a destination identifier for a FLOGI request from a node port (N_Port) located on an element of the SAN when the node port logs in with the SAN fabric. Based on receipt of a fabric login (FLOGI) request, the fabric login server 201N can assign an address to the requesting node port and return a set of service parameters specifying the port name of the switch port, the fabric name, and the fabric's capabilities. Capability information can include attributes such as fibre channel classes of services that are supported, and features that are supported by the SAN fabric. In addition to FLOGI requests, the address of the fabric login server 201N can be used as the destination address for other ELS requests, including but not limited to discover fabric service parameters (FDISC) requests, read link error status block (LESB) requests, and read timeout values (RTV) requests. Processing of FLOGI requests by fabric login server 201N is discussed in further detail below with respect to method 400 of FIG. 4, and processing of other ELS requests by fabric login server 201N is discussed in further detail below with respect to method 500 of FIG. 5.

It is to be understood that the block diagram of FIG. 2 is not intended to indicate that the system 200 is to include all of the components shown in FIG. 2. Rather, the system 200 can include any appropriate fewer or additional components not illustrated in FIG. 2 (e.g., additional memory components, embedded controllers, functional blocks, connections between functional blocks, modules, inputs, outputs, applications, containers, sub-functions, etc.). Further, the embodiments described herein with respect to system 200 may be implemented with any appropriate logic, wherein the logic, as referred to herein, can include any suitable hardware (e.g., a processor, an embedded controller, or an application specific integrated circuit, among others), software (e.g., an application, among others), firmware, or any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware, in various embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of components of a system 300 for a hybrid control plane 305 including a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Embodiments of system 300 can be implemented in conjunction with system 100 of FIG. 1. Hybrid control plane 305 includes a virtualized control plane 301 and a switch control plane 306. Virtualized control plane 301 includes a centralized management plane 302, a centralized control plane 303, and service plane 304. Virtualized control plane 301 can correspond to fabric login server 114 of FIG. 1, and to fabric login server 201N in container system 200 of FIG. 2. Switch control plane 306 includes a distributed control plane 307 and a forwarding plane 308. Switch control plane 306 can be implemented in one or more switches in the SAN 140 of FIG. 1. Virtualized control plane 301 and switch control plane 306 can work together to provide fabric management functions in the SAN 140. The distributed control plane 307 of switch control plane 306 can include a control unit port (CUP) that is used for communications with the virtualized control plane 301.

It is to be understood that the block diagram of FIG. 3 is not intended to indicate that the system 300 is to include all of the components shown in FIG. 3. Rather, the system 300 can include any appropriate fewer or additional components not illustrated in FIG. 3 (e.g., additional memory components, embedded controllers, functional blocks, connections between functional blocks, modules, inputs, outputs, control planes, etc.). Further, the embodiments described herein with respect to system 300 may be implemented with any appropriate logic, wherein the logic, as referred to herein, can include any suitable hardware (e.g., a processor, an embedded controller, or an application specific integrated circuit, among others), software (e.g., an application, among others), firmware, or any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware, in various embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method 400 for processing a FLOGI request by a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Method 400 can be implemented in embodiments of fabric login server 201N of FIG. 2, in conjunction with elements of system 100 of FIG. 1 and system 300 of FIG. 3. In block 401 of method 400, an N_Port connected to a fabric port (F_Port) on a switch in SAN 140 transmits a FLOGI request having a source identifier (S_ID) of ‘x00 00 00’ to the fibre channel well known address of the fabric login server 114/201N.

[Inventors: What is the Well Known Address of the Fabric Login Server?]

In block 402, the forwarding plane 308 and the distributed control plane 307 of the switch on which the requesting N_Port is located forward the FLOGI request from the requesting N_Port via the F_Port to the centralized control plane 303 where the fabric login server 114/201N having a domain identifier (Domain_ID) corresponding to the switch resides. The fabric login server 114/201N resides in a container, as is illustrated by container system 200 of FIG. 2. The container location is dynamic, and a hypervisor (e.g., in container runtime environment 203) tracks the location and network addressing information of each container that is managed by the hypervisor. In block 403, the hypervisor locates the particular container in container system 200 in which the fabric login server 114/201N resides, and routes the FLOGI request to that container.

In block 404, the fabric login server 114/201N processes the FLOGI request, and assigns an S_ID to the requesting N_Port. The fabric login server 114/201N can also determine a set of service parameters for the requesting N_Port, including a port name of the switch port, the fabric name, and the fabric's capabilities. Fabric capability information can include attributes such as fibre channel classes of services that are supported, and features that are supported by the SAN fabric. The fabric login server 114 can share the port information, assigned S_ID, and service parameters of the requesting N_Port with any other well known addresses corresponding to other virtualized SAN components (e.g., any other virtualized fabric login servers located on other elements in the SAN 140) in block 404. The fabric login server 114/201N adds the port information and assigned S_ID of the requesting N_Port to a locally maintained fabric routing table.

In block 405, the fabric login server 114/201N sends an acknowledgment of completion of processing of the FLOGI request to the hypervisor to be routed from the centralized control plane 303 back to the requesting N_Port via the distributed control plane 307 and forwarding plane 308 on the switch that includes the N_Port that originated the FLOGI request. The acknowledgment of block 405 can include the assigned S_ID and the service parameters of the requesting N_Port in some embodiments of the invention. In block 406, based on receipt of the acknowledgment at the switch, the F_Port on the switch sends a receiver ready (R_RDY) message to the requesting N_Port to indicate that the N_Port is ready to transmit and receive traffic in the SAN fabric.

The process flow diagram of FIG. 4 is not intended to indicate that the operations of the method 400 are to be executed in any particular order, or that all of the operations of the method 400 are to be included in every case. Additionally, the method 400 can include any suitable number of additional operations.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method 500 for processing of an ELS request by a virtualized fabric login server for a storage area network in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Method 500 can be implemented in embodiments of fabric login server 201N of FIG. 2, in conjunction with elements of system 100 of FIG. 1 and system 300 of FIG. 3. In block 501 of method 500, an N_Port connected to a fabric port (F_Port) on a switch in SAN 140 transmits an ELS request to the fibre channel well known address of the fabric login server 114/201N. The ELS request of block 501 can include any appropriate ELS request type, including but not limited to a discover fabric service parameters (FDISC) request, a read link error status block (LESB) request, or a read timeout values (RTV) request.

In block 502, the forwarding plane 308 and the distributed control plane 307 of the switch on which the requesting N_Port is located forward the ELS request from the requesting N_Port via the F_Port to the centralized control plane 303 where the fabric login server 114/201N having a domain identifier (Domain_ID) corresponding to the switch resides. The fabric login server 114/201N resides in a container, as is illustrated by container system 200 of FIG. 2. The container location is dynamic, and a hypervisor (e.g., in container runtime environment 203) tracks the location and network addressing information of each container that is managed by the hypervisor. In block 503, the hypervisor locates the particular container in container system 200 in which the virtualized login name server 114/201N resides, and routes the ELS request to that container.

In block 504, the fabric login server 114/201N processes the ELS request and determines an ELS response including any SAN information that was requested by the ELS request. The processing of block 504 may depend on the type of the ELS request. In block 505, the fabric login server 114/201N sends the ELS response to the hypervisor to be routed from the centralized control plane 303 back to the requesting N_Port via the distributed control plane 307 and forwarding plane 308 on the switch that includes the N_Port that originated the FLOGI request. In block 506, based on receipt of the ELS response at the switch, the F_Port on the switch provides the SAN information that was included in the ELS response to the requesting N_Port.

[Inventors: What Type of Information is Returned for Each Type of ELS Request?]

The process flow diagram of FIG. 5 is not intended to indicate that the operations of the method 500 are to be executed in any particular order, or that all of the operations of the method 500 are to be included in every case. Additionally, the method 500 can include any suitable number of additional operations.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a computer system 600 is generally shown in accordance with an embodiment. The computer system 600 can be an electronic, computer framework comprising and/or employing any number and combination of computing devices and networks utilizing various communication technologies, as described herein. The computer system 600 can be easily scalable, extensible, and modular, with the ability to change to different services or reconfigure some features independently of others. The computer system 600 may be, for example, a server, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, or smartphone. In some examples, computer system 600 may be a cloud computing node. Computer system 600 may be described in the general context of computer system executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer system 600 may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 6, the computer system 600 has one or more central processing units (CPU(s)) 601 a, 601 b, 601 c, etc. (collectively or generically referred to as processor(s) 601). The processors 601 can be a single-core processor, multi-core processor, computing cluster, or any number of other configurations. The processors 601, also referred to as processing circuits, are coupled via a system bus 602 to a system memory 603 and various other components. The system memory 603 can include a read only memory (ROM) 604 and a random access memory (RAM) 605. The ROM 604 is coupled to the system bus 602 and may include a basic input/output system (BIOS), which controls certain basic functions of the computer system 600. The RAM is read-write memory coupled to the system bus 602 for use by the processors 601. The system memory 603 provides temporary memory space for operations of said instructions during operation. The system memory 603 can include random access memory (RAM), read only memory, flash memory, or any other suitable memory systems.

The computer system 600 comprises an input/output (I/O) adapter 606 and a communications adapter 607 coupled to the system bus 602. The I/O adapter 606 may be a small computer system interface (SCSI) adapter that communicates with a hard disk 608 and/or any other similar component. The I/O adapter 606 and the hard disk 608 are collectively referred to herein as a mass storage 610.

Software 611 for execution on the computer system 600 may be stored in the mass storage 610. The mass storage 610 is an example of a tangible storage medium readable by the processors 601, where the software 611 is stored as instructions for execution by the processors 601 to cause the computer system 600 to operate, such as is described herein with respect to the various Figures. Examples of computer program product and the execution of such instruction is discussed herein in more detail. The communications adapter 607 interconnects the system bus 602 with a network 612, which may be an outside network, enabling the computer system 600 to communicate with other such systems. In one embodiment, a portion of the system memory 603 and the mass storage 610 collectively store an operating system, which may be any appropriate operating system, such as the z/OS or AIX operating system from IBM Corporation, to coordinate the functions of the various components shown in FIG. 6.

Additional input/output devices are shown as connected to the system bus 602 via a display adapter 615 and an interface adapter 616 and. In one embodiment, the adapters 606, 607, 615, and 616 may be connected to one or more I/O buses that are connected to the system bus 602 via an intermediate bus bridge (not shown). A display 619 (e.g., a screen or a display monitor) is connected to the system bus 602 by a display adapter 615, which may include a graphics controller to improve the performance of graphics intensive applications and a video controller. A keyboard 621, a mouse 622, a speaker 623, etc. can be interconnected to the system bus 602 via the interface adapter 616, which may include, for example, a Super I/O chip integrating multiple device adapters into a single integrated circuit. Suitable I/O buses for connecting peripheral devices such as hard disk controllers, network adapters, and graphics adapters typically include common protocols, such as the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). Thus, as configured in FIG. 6, the computer system 600 includes processing capability in the form of the processors 601, and, storage capability including the system memory 603 and the mass storage 610, input means such as the keyboard 621 and the mouse 622, and output capability including the speaker 623 and the display 619.

In some embodiments, the communications adapter 607 can transmit data using any suitable interface or protocol, such as the internet small computer system interface, among others. The network 612 may be a cellular network, a radio network, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or the Internet, among others. An external computing device may connect to the computer system 600 through the network 612. In some examples, an external computing device may be an external webserver or a cloud computing node.

It is to be understood that the block diagram of FIG. 6 is not intended to indicate that the computer system 600 is to include all of the components shown in FIG. 6. Rather, the computer system 600 can include any appropriate fewer or additional components not illustrated in FIG. 6 (e.g., additional memory components, embedded controllers, modules, additional network interfaces, etc.). Further, the embodiments described herein with respect to computer system 600 may be implemented with any appropriate logic, wherein the logic, as referred to herein, can include any suitable hardware (e.g., a processor, an embedded controller, or an application specific integrated circuit, among others), software (e.g., an application, among others), firmware, or any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware, in various embodiments.

Various embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the related drawings. Alternative embodiments of the invention can be devised without departing from the scope of this invention. Various connections and positional relationships (e.g., over, below, adjacent, etc.) are set forth between elements in the following description and in the drawings. These connections and/or positional relationships, unless specified otherwise, can be direct or indirect, and the present invention is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Accordingly, a coupling of entities can refer to either a direct or an indirect coupling, and a positional relationship between entities can be a direct or indirect positional relationship. Moreover, the various tasks and process steps described herein can be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional steps or functionality not described in detail herein.

One or more of the methods described herein can be implemented with any or a combination of the following technologies, which are each well known in the art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to making and using aspects of the invention may or may not be described in detail herein. In particular, various aspects of computing systems and specific computer programs to implement the various technical features described herein are well known. Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, many conventional implementation details are only mentioned briefly herein or are omitted entirely without providing the well-known system and/or process details.

In some embodiments, various functions or acts can take place at a given location and/or in connection with the operation of one or more apparatuses or systems. In some embodiments, a portion of a given function or act can be performed at a first device or location, and the remainder of the function or act can be performed at one or more additional devices or locations.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

The diagrams depicted herein are illustrative. There can be many variations to the diagram or the steps (or operations) described therein without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For instance, the actions can be performed in a differing order or actions can be added, deleted, or modified. Also, the term “coupled” describes having a signal path between two elements and does not imply a direct connection between the elements with no intervening elements/connections therebetween. All of these variations are considered a part of the present disclosure.

The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used for the interpretation of the claims and the specification. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” “contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a composition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.

Additionally, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” Any embodiment or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms “at least one” and “one or more” are understood to include any integer number greater than or equal to one, i.e. one, two, three, four, etc. The terms “a plurality” are understood to include any integer number greater than or equal to two, i.e. two, three, four, five, etc. The term “connection” can include both an indirect “connection” and a direct “connection.”

The terms “about,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and variations thereof, are intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, “about” can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instruction by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments described herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising: operating a storage area network, the storage area network comprising a hybrid control plane; and managing, using a virtualized fabric login server and the hybrid control plane, the storage area network, wherein the virtualized fabric login server is disposed in a container that is hosted on an element of the storage area network.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein managing the storage area network comprises: receiving, by the virtualized fabric login server via the hybrid control plane, an extended link service (ELS) request from a node port (N_Port) located on a switch in the storage area network; and processing, by the virtualized fabric login server, the ELS request; and sending, by the virtualized fabric login server, an acknowledgment of the ELS request to the N_Port via the hybrid control plane.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein receiving the ELS request by the virtualized fabric login server via the hybrid control plane comprises: receiving the ELS request from the hybrid control plane by a hypervisor that is hosted on the element of the storage area network, wherein the hypervisor manages a plurality of containers on the element; determining, by the hypervisor, the container of the plurality of containers in which the virtualized fabric login server resides; and forwarding, by the hypervisor, the ELS request to the determined container.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the ELS request comprises a fabric login (FLOGI) request, and wherein processing the FLOGI request comprises: assigning, by the virtualized fabric login server, a source identifier (S_ID) to the N_Port; and adding, by the virtualized fabric login server, the assigned S_ID of the N_Port to a fabric routing table.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising: sharing, by the virtualized fabric login server, the assigned S_ID of the N_Port with at least one additional virtualized storage area network component.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the ELS request comprises one of a discover fabric service parameters (FDISC) request, a read link error status block (LESB) request, and a read timeout values (RTV) request.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the element that hosts the container comprises a processor pool of an input/output (I/O) adapter card of a node of the storage area network.
 8. A system comprising: a memory having computer readable instructions; and one or more processors for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions controlling the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: operating a storage area network, the storage area network comprising a hybrid control plane; and managing, using a virtualized fabric login server and the hybrid control plane, the storage area network, wherein the virtualized fabric login server is disposed in a container that is hosted on an element of the storage area network.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein managing the storage area network comprises: receiving, by the virtualized fabric login server via the hybrid control plane, an extended link service (ELS) request from a node port (N_Port) located on a switch in the storage area network; and processing, by the virtualized fabric login server, the ELS request; and sending, by the virtualized fabric login server, an acknowledgment of the ELS request to the N_Port via the hybrid control plane.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein receiving the ELS request by the virtualized fabric login server via the hybrid control plane comprises: receiving the ELS request from the hybrid control plane by a hypervisor that is hosted on the element of the storage area network, wherein the hypervisor manages a plurality of containers on the element; determining, by the hypervisor, the container of the plurality of containers in which the virtualized fabric login server resides; and forwarding, by the hypervisor, the ELS request to the determined container.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the ELS request comprises a fabric login (FLOGI) request, and wherein processing the FLOGI request comprises: assigning, by the virtualized fabric login server, a source identifier (S_ID) to the N_Port; and adding, by the virtualized fabric login server, the assigned S_ID of the N_Port to a fabric routing table.
 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: sharing, by the virtualized fabric login server, the assigned S_ID of the N_Port with at least one additional virtualized storage area network component.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the ELS request comprises one of a discover fabric service parameters (FDISC) request, a read link error status block (LESB) request, and a read timeout values (RTV) request.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the element that hosts the container comprises a processor pool of an input/output (I/O) adapter card of a node of the storage area network.
 15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: operating a storage area network, the storage area network comprising a hybrid control plane; and managing, using a virtualized fabric login server and the hybrid control plane, the storage area network, wherein the virtualized fabric login server is disposed in a container that is hosted on an element of the storage area network.
 16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein managing the storage area network comprises: receiving, by the virtualized fabric login server via the hybrid control plane, an extended link service (ELS) request from a node port (N_Port) located on a switch in the storage area network; and processing, by the virtualized fabric login server, the ELS request; and sending, by the virtualized fabric login server, an acknowledgment of the ELS request to the N_Port via the hybrid control plane.
 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein receiving the ELS request by the virtualized fabric login server via the hybrid control plane comprises: receiving the ELS request from the hybrid control plane by a hypervisor that is hosted on the element of the storage area network, wherein the hypervisor manages a plurality of containers on the element; determining, by the hypervisor, the container of the plurality of containers in which the virtualized fabric login server resides; and forwarding, by the hypervisor, the ELS request to the determined container.
 18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the ELS request comprises a fabric login (FLOGI) request, and wherein processing the FLOGI request comprises: assigning, by the virtualized fabric login server, a source identifier (S_ID) to the N_Port; and adding, by the virtualized fabric login server, the assigned S_ID of the N_Port to a fabric routing table.
 19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising: sharing, by the virtualized fabric login server, the assigned S_ID of the N_Port with at least one additional virtualized storage area network component.
 20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the ELS request comprises one of a discover fabric service parameters (FDISC) request, a read link error status block (LESB) request, and a read timeout values (RTV) request. 